The Clover
by gimmemango
Summary: Everyone thought adopted Edward Elric and Allen Walker would be the best of friends. So when they were sent off to the Clover, a special place where kids in need of medical help went, they didn't know what happened. Follow their journey through the whitewashed walls and fake-happy waiting rooms and find out what really happened. Rated T for violence. In the later chapters.
1. Chapter 1

_A long time ago, a plague spread. Many did not know what happened. 75% of the human race was killed, and the rest survived by resorting to tactics they would never tell anyone about._

_After 5 months of millions dying each day, a group of scientists finally found the cure and slowly distributed it to everyone in the world._

_Action began to take place. Corpses were found, their lips and palms blue-black and their bodies red and splotchy, the signature of the plague. They were thrown into mass fires and burned, then buried beneath piles and piles of dirt. Meanwhile, scientists tracked down the only ones that would not be cured, and began to bloody their hands._

_Now it is 20 years into the future, where humans are slowly beginning to regrow, life blooming in places of death. The children of this new century laugh and play on what were previously mass graves, bathing in the fresh sun light._

_16 year olds Edward Elric and Allen Walker are like all other children: they know of the plague but not of what happened, and they are about to find out. Their story will now be told._

The two brothers were not related by blood; they were adopted, but when they were children they played together like they were the real thing. They chased each other happily around their parent's spacious garden, always chose each other as partners, and wouldn't budge when they were not together on the same sport's team.

As they grew up, everyone expected them to be friends always, but when they turned 11, their bond took a turn for the worse. At first they were little things, like a slight shove, or an evil look of the eye, or that they slowly stopped playing together. But as the time went on, and they grew to age 16, their rivalry grew and grew. When their parents found them on the ground, lying next to each other, tangled, and wrestling to the death, they decided that they had to go.

Neighbors and close friends said to their parents, dabbing at their eyes, "Oh, it's such a shame...they seemed to be the best of friends just yesterday…"

Their parents searched a long time until they found the perfect place for their boys to go, a preserve and medical-help center called "The Clover." When they found this out, the boys(now in separate rooms) lifted up the flaps of the air vent between them and discussed their future in hushed whispers.

"Do you think they'll find out?"

"No, they won't. Shh!"

"What if they do?"

"We'll run away. Far away. We have connections, remember? And we'll find our real parents. Not these fakes."

"Okay, then. Good night."

" 'Night."

The next day the boys woke up to their parents revving up the old car and getting ready for the long trip to Clover.

They got in the car, and began the long drive to the Clover.


	2. Chapter 2

During the long drive to the Clover, no one said much of anything. Allen and Ed were afraid of blowing their cover, and their parents were too busy mourning. The only conversation was between Ed, Allen, and their mother, and it went like this:

"Boys?"

"Yes?"

"We're sorry...you know this is for your own good, right?"

"Yeah...it's okay, Mom."

After pulling up in the Clover's spacious parking lot, they slowly got out of the car, and even more slowly, began the long trek towards the Clover's main lobby.

The lobby was a cheerful and bright place, filled with fluorescent lights, magazines, TV's, and even a box of cookies. The clerk looked up as they passed.

"Edward and Allen?" she asked.

"Yeah," the boys sullenly replied.

"Right this way," she said, and got up out of her chair to lead them into separate rooms. "You two may come as well," she said, gesturing towards their parents.

~~~~!~~~~!~~~~!~~~~

Edward Elric sat on top of the room's bed as his parents talked in hushed whispers with the doctor. He kind of regretted going through with his plan, but if he ever wanted to see his real parents again, he would have to. Desperation does horrible things to the human body, and Ed knew that all too well.

"Mom? Dad?" he interrupted.

"Yes?" came the tentative reply.

"How long will we be here?"

A pause. Then, "We don't know. We're sorry, honey."

"It's okay."

No one said anything for a while, and Ed let the conversation with his parents and the doctor continue.

After that, the doctor took a blood test, checked his height and weight, made him lift some dumbbells, and asked him and his parents some questions.

After about a few minutes of talking with his parents, the doctors asked to talk to them privately, shooting a glance at Ed. They went outside and closed the door firmly.

Ed wanted to know what was so important. He crept up to the door and pressed his ear against it. He heard snippets of conversation and made a mental note to write them all down later.

"...good for him?"

"...meds...stay awhile...friends…"

"No...the boys..be...be cautious."

"...any reason?...seems…"

"He...history...violence...stronger than you think."

….

WHAT?

_What is that supposed to mean?_thought Ed.

At which point the conversation ended and Ed dashed back to the bed. The door opened as he flopped down on the bed.

"Ed?" his mother asked.

"What?" he said.

"We're going to go to Allen now. Will you be okay?"

"Yeah," he replied, the weight on his chest growing ever larger by the second.

They closed the door behind them and left for Allen.

~~~~!~~~~!~~~~!~~~~

Allen thought he would sometimes remember some things from his previous life, and when he had told that to Ed, he had many theories about different things. His main guess about their life before was:

_Our memories were erased and implanted with fake ones, then we were given to this family, whether they know it or not._

He was still immersed in his thoughts when the doctor and his parents opened the door.

He was given same treatment as Ed; mind and body tested, then asked many questions like,

"What is your earliest memory?"

"Have you heard of something called the Alliance?"

"Do you have a history of violent behavior?"

At the last question Allen saw his mother's shoulders shift, then looked down in time to see her give him a swift kick , and he winced ever-so-slightly.

Then, again, they went out he door to talk privately, but this time, Allen did not eavesdrop. This time he played a trick he had once told Ed about. If he remembered or pretended to remember something, then he would have that thing.

He thought of his ear, the things inside, and imagined them strengthening, "evolving", and suddenly he could hear much better. Even from inside the room, he could hear their conversation loud and clear.

"The same as the other?"

"No, he's different. His skills are the same, though. Be cautious."

"As I said, we have many powerful meds here in the Clover. There's nothing to worry about."

"Just...keep an eye on them for me okay? Can they write letters?"

"...I'll think about it."

"Good."

"Why don't we go back inside now?"

"Let's."

They came back inside, and the rest flew by in a blur, with Allen thinking about what he had heard.

About an hour later, Ed and Allen were in their shared room together, and at the same time, they said the same things.

"I need to talk to you."

**Linda, you are a meanie. Next time shut up or I'll remove your review. **

**Guest: Sorry that was HER.**

**DISCLAIMER! I do NOT own these. **

**This story is longer now!**


	3. Chapter 3

"_Lenalee!"_

_A black-clad figure turned and short hair strands flapped in the wind._

"_Lenalee, wait up!"_

"_Allen…" Her voice was a soft, melodious one, fighting against the hard wind. Her face seemed to soften, but then turned hard. "Why did you let them?" _

"_Lenalee?"_

_She slowly turned, and retreated down the cold road._

"_No! Lenalee! Stop! Please!"_

_Lenalee stopped for a moment, as if considering, but in the end continued walking._

"_No…"_

"_Get up, big brother!"_

_Pain, cold and hard, pulsed in and around his leg and arm. _

"_D-don't leave Winry and me!"_

_He slowly opened his eyes, to a bright room and tried to lift up his body to get out of bed._

"_Don't, big brother! You'll hurt your arm!"_

_Darkness. The cool touch of metal. And blissful, blissful, sleep._

_~~~~!~~~~!~~~~!~~~~_

Both Ed and Allen woke up at the same time.

"Remember, they can pump drugs into the food."

"Yup, okay."

Ed and Allen were stiffly going over what the had to do in the cafeteria, partially because of the things they heard with the doctor, and partially because they wanted to be able to carry through with their plan.

Lunch passed by slowly, with both Ed and Allen not looking up from their food and chewing slowly so they wouldn't have to say anything. Ed couldn't stop thinking about the girl named Winry and the boy named Alphonse, while Allen couldn't stop thinking about the girl named Lenalee.

Ed was having a pretty bad day. First he had fallen asleep to a weird dream, Allen wouldn't speak to him, and the walls of the Clover seemed so big, empty, and taunted him every step he took.

_Winry, Winry, _he thought. Who could Winry possibly be? He thought about the pain and numbness in his arm and leg, but he didn't know what arm and leg exactly. He thought about the cool touch of metal against metal, and-

_What?_

Metal against metal? He tried to picture it.

He looked down. His left arm was slowly but surely beginning to turn gray. Then ridges formed. Then bolts,screws, and a small ball joint in place of his elbow.

"Stop!"

Ed looked around. Who said that? Then he realized that all the eyes in the cafeteria were on him. He had said it. _He _had said it.

Allen, for the first time that day, looked up at him.

The first thought that struck Allen that day about Ed was, _What is he doing?_

Well, obviously. First, Ed wouldn't speak to him, and now he was speaking when he wasn't even supposed to?

Allen kind of wanted to slap him. In the face.

But, for the sake of politeness, he didn't. Besides, they were in a public place. You can't slap people in public places.

So he stayed still and smiled at Ed. "What?" he asked, nicely as he could. He wanted to be the one to break the silence between them.

Ed looked up as well.

"Oh, nothing. Just...my head hurt a bit. You know how I overreact," he said, folding his arms behind his back.

Allen looked back down. He knew Ed was hiding something, but he didn't really want to push it. "Okay."

Later that day Allen looked into the mirror of his and Ed's shared room.

He ran out shouting, "Ed! Ed!"

Ed looked up. "What?"

"My...my eye…"

Ed looked at Allen's eye and gasped. A red line had appeared, crossing over his eye, with a star at the top and a line through it.

"Was that what happened to you earlier?" asked ALlen.

"...yes," Allen replied.


	4. Chapter 4

"_If you don't cooperate, you know we'll force you to."_

Those were the last words both Ed and Allen heard before being strapped into gigantic metal human outlines lined with black padding.

"Now," said the head scientist,"You know that the more you resist, the more pressure will be put on you. Let's begin!"

A humming began to sound, as the machines slowly began to twist and turn, bringing Ed and Allen with them as well.

"So, what do you know about your past?" asked the scientist.

"It'll take more than that to force that out of us!" said Ed. But, what was funny was that nothing really remarkable had happened to Ed and Allen that they could even remember. Why would they even want to know?

"Hmm…," said the scientist, "well, okay, turn it up to level 4."

The scientists that accompanied him twisted a dial and Ed and Allen felt jolts of electricity course through them, stinging every part of their bodies. The machine also began to squeeze and twister harder and harder.

He smiled. "Is that enough to coax it out of you?"

Ed narrowed his eyes.

"Never…" Allen breathed, forcing every breath in and out, in and out.

The scientist smiled." Very well then. Turn it up, Hallow."

A boy next to him smiled wickedly, and twisted the dial up on the control booth.

"No…" Allen heard himself saying, "We have ways, you know. "

"And," Ed added, "you'll pay the price in blood for what you're doing to us."

The scientist merely laughed. "That is," he said, "if you have any memory of it."

A few days had passed since Ed and Allen had come to the Clover and they were beginning to adjust. Allen even figured out what was going on in their classes.

Ed rested his head on the back of his hand as he swung his legs back and forth under the desk. He kept on feeling something weird inside of him.

It was the feeling that he'd forgotten something, the one in which your stomach get empty and airy, and your breathing gets a bit off.

And besides that, he kind of needed to pee. He jiggled his leg back and forth, trying not to think about it.

The guy who sat next to him, a weird kid named Hallow, started teasing him. "Just think of geysers, bottles spilling, the waterfalls, and flowing rivers."

"Shut up," he whispered back, slamming his right hand against Hallow's stomach.

Hallow's eyes bulged. "Dude," he said, "What is your arm made of? Metal or something?"

Ed looked down. Metal? He tried to picture it yet again. As it had happened before, ridges began to form, then nuts and bolts, and his arm began to turn a shiny gray. A ball joint appeared in place of his elbow.

Hallow looked down at Ed's arm as well. "What," he breathed,"Woah, dude."

Ed squeezed his eyes closed and furiously tried to turn his hand back, but it wouldn't cooperate. He felt Allen's eyes on him.

"The Clover was previously a hospital for the plague," the teacher droned,"and helped greatly in the making of the cure. The plague was…"

Ed didn't care. Everyone everywhere knew what it was. Well, at least anyone who had a life. Meh. He just resumed thinking about that weird feeling inside him.

#######

Later that afternoon was physical evaluation. Everyone in Ed and Allen's class had to run several laps, do many push-ups, curl-ups, pull-ups, among others.

The only people fit enough were Ed and Allen.

The group was doing one handed push-ups, and everyone but Ed and Allen had passed out on the mat.

Ed kept moving his arms up and down, up and down, working his way into a rhythm.

His arms burned and hurt. He knew that he would pay the toll for doing so many push-ups later on, but the truth was, Allen was feeling the same thing. But Ed's pain was fiery, and burned within him with such a passion that he could not help but remember.

Still doing the push-ups, he experienced snippets of one of his lost memories through a flashback.

_Pain. So much pain._

_Electricity. _

_Stinging._

"_No!"_

_Scientists in lab coats. _

_A familiar face._

"_It appears...failure, sir."_

But how? What did it mean? Ed pondered.

"Mr. Jo!" a voice rang out, "Hallow's missing!"

_Hallow?, _Ed thought. There was something wrong, something he couldn't quite place his finger on, that he knew, but at the same time, didn't.

"Stop your push-ups!" Mr. Jo commanded. "We must go find Hallow!"

Allen was searching. Searching for Hallow.

_Where could he have disappeared to?_ wondered Allen as he peaked through a science lab.

The lab was full of test tubes and beakers filled with strange substances, and Allen stepped inside. At the back of the lab there was another door, which appeared slightly ajar. He stepped closer to find out what it was.

Then a scream rang out through the door. Allen began running towards it.

He peeked through and saw something so horrible he gasped and covered his eyes.

Bodies. Familiar-looking bodies. The skin was all red and splotchy, and their lips and palms appeared blue-black.

_The plague._

He remembered Mr. Jo's words.

"_The Clover was previously a hospital for the plague," _he had said, "_and helped greatly in the making of the cure."_

_Test tubes. Beakers._

Allen dropped to his knees with realization.

The Clover wasn't a mental ward at all.

**!**

**My notes:**

**Thanks everyone for the support!**

**Linda: Shut up or I will silence you. FOREVER.**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N-**

**Thank you, everyone. I almost gave up on this story until I looked at the reviews and realized that not everyone hated it(well, except for ONE PERSON).**

**I also noticed that the chapters were wayyy shorter than I expected. Sorry. I'll try and make them longer. **

**And not to mention my many spelling and grammatical errors. I will try to proofread better, everyone.**

**Plus, removes my dashes and underscores, so if there's blank space where there's supposed to be seperation, sorry!**

**And lastly, I want to know our favorite pairings within FMA and DGM so I can put them in this story maybe? Thanks!**

**-Niku-san(meat in japanese)**

Ed had gotten up in the middle of the night, secretly got dressed, and snuck past Allen, who was sleeping. He had to do something. He couldn't push it back anymore. _It's for a good cause_, he assured himself as he crept down the dorm hallway. He hadn't told anyone, not even Allen. He dared to regret it as he silently opens the big, double-sided doors.

But he was going to find something major tonight, he just knew it.

~~~/~~~\~~~

Every day Allen had more and more trouble falling asleep. So when Ed quietly got up, he quickly rolled over to make it look like he was sleeping. Ed seemed fooled.

After Ed had left the room, Allen threw on a jacket and followed him, trying to be incognito. Fortunately, Ed was a gigantic doof and was fooled completely.

Hmmph. Little did he know.

And exactly seven doors over from Ed and Allen's room, Hallow silently wept, tears of mourning rolling down his cheeks as he prospected over what he had to do. With the gun they gave him in hand.

He had never been a killer, though that's what they were expecting him to become. He replayed those simple words the scientist had said in his head.

"_They know too much. They have to be destroyed."_

He sighed and silently pulled the covers over his head.

"~~~~~~~"

Allen was actually pretty mad at Ed. He refused to talk to Allen about the stuff that was going on, like his arm and the scar that had appeared on Allen's eye. That was part of the reason he had followed Ed. That, and he couldn't sleep so he wanted to be in for a gigantic discovery.

Ed was about to round a corner, so Allen ducked into a classroom. He couldn't afford to be seen out of the corner of Ed's eye.

He was sad that Ed was avoiding him, because Ed had always seemed like his best friend. The rejection was like a punch in the stomach. Except for it wasn't so bad because Allen didn't know whether or not Ed meant to or what. Actually, that thought only cushioned the blow a bit. Ed had built himself a space in Allen's heart, and the fact that he was now avoiding Allen pulled out the fabric Ed had sewn in, and left him feeling empty and alone.

Alone.

_I don't want to be alone, _thought Allen, as he ducked out of the classroom and continued sneaking after Ed.

But Ed was smart. Allen knew that. Back when they were friends in school, they had an ongoing competition to see who could get the better grades. Allen had always struggled to keep up with Ed, and he had always felt overshadowed, as if he could never compare to him.

And now this.

A silent tear traveled down his cheek. He sniffed and continued on. _I can't let this feeling overwhelm me._

/\/\/\/….\/\\/\/\\

_Grr._

Why was Allen following him? He had known Allen was trailing him by the light steps and that one sniffle. He tried to lose Allen, but just couldn't.

He rounded a corner. And another, and another. There. Ed was alone, and he had lost Allen. He didn't want to be mean, but he had to do this tonight by himself. Alone. Which left him feeling guilty, but he just knew.

He hurried on until he reached the lab that he had seen Allen enter earlier that day, and opened the door. He flipped on his flashlight. And gasped.

So many test tubes. And beakers. All in one room, all holding strange, bubbling substances.

But wait.

There was a door in the back of the lab.

It looked suspicious.

Very suspicious.

Ed started towards it, and when he reached it, swung it open and shone his flashlight beam in.

_What?_

Bodies. Dead bodies. With horrible skin, all red and blotchy. Ew. And the lips and palms! Ew ew ew ew ew. All blue- black, like a bruise. They were so gross, like that one time that-

Wait. A. Second.

The plague! That was it.

But the bodies didn't look old. Then what were the liquids outside? Ed squinted suspiciously.

Then he gasped and dropped his flashlight as the horrible realization dropped onto him.

Ed didn't normally read journals. But Allen's was just sitting there, looking like, "Read me. Come, idiots, read me!"

So Ed opened it. The first thing he saw:

_I wish that he would acknowledge me. He was my friend for-what?- 13-14 years. I feel empty and alone now. _

Little dots on the page were wavy, the sign of crying.

_Ed became a part of me. I can't imagine life without him there to compete, laugh, and play with me. _

Ed's eyes widened. _He was crying because of me. Me._

So became when Ed decided he would pay more attention to Allen.

**After notes-**

**I said that I would make it longer, but honestly, I'm in a hurry. Sowwy.**

**Who should I pair these people w/? TELL MEEEEE**

**and you'll get a cookie. :)**


	6. Chapter 6

Whenever Ed had the time, he would go to Allen's journal, open it up, and begin reading. That was what he was doing now.

_Sometimes when I close my eyes, I feel that the whole world is an illusion, and everyone is a pawn in a bigger picture._

Sometimes Ed felt that way too.

_I miss Mother. She was the closet thing I ever had to a gaurdian, even though Ed doesn't think she's actually that good of a parent. But when I talk to him about her, I can hear him sighing, as if remembering something long letter go of, and the corners of his mouth tilt up ever so slightly, relishing the memory of the one who raised him._

Allen saw him do all those things? Sometimes Ed swore that the people around him were starting to know more about him than he did himself.

Then he heard the fumble of keys against the door handle's lock.

He quickly scrambled up, shoved the journal back into Allen's pillowcase, ran towards his bed, and flopped down onto it.

As Allen came in, he tried to disguise his heavy breathing from the rush. Now, he had to act nicer to Allen.

He ended up blurting,"Can I call you Al?"

Allen jolted up, surprised. "Why would you want to do that?"

"I don't know. It just sounds...normal. Comforting, maybe. I can't describe the feeling."

"Then, if it makes you happy, I guess you could."

_Al._ It sounded so familiar, as if you could use it like a warm blanket to wrap around yourself after a hard day. And that's exactly what he did, lying down on his bed and closing his eyes to finally go to sleep.

|||/...\\\|||

Allen woke to the sharp knock on their door. He got up and stretched, then went to answer the door. He opened it to come face-to-face with a man lugging along a TV.

"Good morning," he said, "What...uh...brings you here?"

"Well, said the man,"Since your teachers have been saying you two boys are at the top of the class, I'm here to reward you with a television! For watching the shows in your free time. Of course, it's not fully yours, but you can use it."

"Okay, um, thank you!" Allen thought that it was odd, giving them two the television. The man had said that it was for good grades, but honestly, everyone in Allen and Ed's classes were pretty smart.

"What's up, Al?" Ed asked from his bed.

"TV. They're letting us have it because apparently we have good grades."

"'Kay," Ed said, and got up to help Allen with the television.

Later, Ed sat in front of the TV, toying the remote." I got it on!" he shouted triumphantly.

Allen took the remote from him and switched through the channels. _What should we watch?_ He thought, until settling on a popular TV show he forgot the name of, and set the route on the couch between him and Ed.

About halfway through the show, he accidently sat on the remote and pressed a few buttons.

"Al!" Ed scolded, "haven't I told you to stop sitting on the remote?"

"I believe I've told you to stop sleeping with your stomach out..."

Ed's head jolted upwards.

"What?" Allen asked.

"That reminded me of a time...long ago. Were you there? I forgot. I don't know."

Allen pointed to the TV. "What is that?" His sitting on of the remote had opened up the "My Videos" section, and there was a familiar looking black- haired girl staring up at them.

He gasped with realization. "It's-she's the 'Lenalee' girl!"

Ed looked at him curiously.

Allen explained,"A dream I had...she was in it."

"Funny, I had a dream too. But...first, let's watch it."

Allen took the remote, pointed it at the TV, and selected it. The picture of Lenalee enlargened and took up the screen. Allen pressed the button for play, and a couch popped up on the screen. In the distance, faint giggling could be heard.

Lenalee walked onscreen. "Personally, I think all of this is really stupid," she said, smiling,"but now that I know about it, they're not going to let me go. So, instead, I think I'll just play along."

She dragged two people onscreen. "These are my test subjects!"

Both Allen and Ed's eyes widened and hands went to cover their mouths in surprise.

On screen were familiar people: two guys, one blond and with metal limbs, and the other, white haired with a scar running down his left eye.

Lenalee giggled again." I'll be testing the effects of the latest version of the scientist's development of the thing that gives them the plague." She frowned. "Whatever. Brother Komi was always the scientist." In a lower voice, she added,"Until they dragged him here."

"Pshhhhh," she rolled her eyes. "Anyway, this video is gonna be like a journal. You know check their progress." She smiled devilishly.

Ed paused the video. Do you think there's a reason they gave us the TV? Maybe...not everyone here at the Clover is that loyal...maybe some people are trying to get everyone to understand what's actually going on."

"Anyway," Allen said,"it's time for morning classes. We have to get dressed and go."

"Kay,", came the reply.

!

Mrs. Cole was by far the best teacher anyone could ever get at the Clover. And it was just Ed and Allen's luck to get her.

"Class, today we're going to talk about all your goals. Turn to the person next to you and discuss what you plan to do in the near future.

Ed turned to Allen. "Have you ever looked at the birds in the sky and thought,'I wish I could be as free as them?' I sometimes wish I could grow wings and soar away.

Mrs. Cole smiled at them as she walked past." When we're discussing our goals, we want to make sure that they make sense. They should be something achievable."

"That's right, Ed. I don't think anyone can fly."

"What..."

"Ed? Ed? You all right?"

Ed felt himself falling and falling, till he lost consciousness.

...

"M-mrs. Cole!" Allen panicked. "What do we do?"

Mrs. Cole quickly snapped into business mode. "He might be recovering from amnesia. Luckily, the Clover has made new technology that can "see" in his mind whiling he sleeps. Let me get it hooked up. The rest of you all, shoo."

Everyone filed out of the classroom except Allen. A video form of Ed's memory popped up on the smart board. Lenalee was there.

"What-?" said Allen.

Ed and Allen stumbled onscreen. But they looked younger than they did on the TV that morning. Ed looked up at Lenalee and said hopefully,"When I grow up, I want to fly like the little birds in the air."

Lenalee looked down at him and sneered." Well, you can't. No one knows how. Are you an idiot?"

Allen stepped in."Don't be mean to Ed. He didn't mean anything by it. We're completely happy with you."

"Shut up!" Lenalee growled.

"There's nothing wrong here! I was just kidding! I'm sorry!" Ed said.

"I said, be quiet!" Lenalee roared, and slapped him across the face.

Ed's eyes widened and grew glassy. Tears spilled out of them.

Allen stepped in front of Ed."Don't touch us," he growled.

Ed pulled his arm back,"It-It's okay, Allen. You don't need to get hurt."

Lenalee scowled and walked away.

Ed woke up and groaned. "What happened..." He asked. His throat was parched. Tha last thing he remembered happening was passing out during class time.

Until it all rushed back to him.

_The pain of the slap._

_Tears._

_Allen defending him._

Ugh. But he felt so horrible.

Allen opened the door of the room and walked over to Ed. "Let's go back to our room. Mrs. Cole wrote up an excuse so we can take the day off."

He handed Ed a glass of water, which he drank greedily.

"Let's go now, won't we?"

"Of course."

...

Allen and Ed had gone back to their room and turned on the TV to keep watching the video.

Allen hit "play" and the video continued.

"Wait," Ed said, and took the remote.

He skipped to the end of the video.

Lenalee stood onscreen, looking both confused and hateful.

"Something's happened, I don't know what," she said."But," she gestured helplessly at the two people onscreen.

Allen and Ed were much younger than they were before.

"It's her fault we're like this?"Allen asked.

**A/N:**

**The reason I may have taken so long for this chapter is because I started a new fanfiction. It's called "Death, Death, Death for all." Actual.y, there won't be a lot of deaths. The reason for that title is a poem that will come on in the middle of the story. It's a Fullmetal Alchemist and Hunger Games crossover. I like crossovers. So, please read and review or whatever!**

**And this chapter doesn't have any indentations. I apologize. I was working on a tablet, and there's no "tab" key.**

**Review or I'll put you in a meat locker.**

**-Niku-san**


	7. Chapter 7

Ed was reading one day in bed when he bumped against the wall and opened a secret compartment. Out fell a journal.

"Allen!" he called, waving the journal around like a madman. "Allen! Get over here! Allen! Allen!AL!"

Allen ran out from the shower, reasonably wet, white hair dripping, wrapped in a towel. "Ed, this better be good. I come out here in the middle of a shower because you're sitting out here screaming and waving some book around- wait, what is that?"

Ed looked down into his lap, embarrassed. "So-Sorry. I just...opened some compartment in the wall, and...this fell out…"

Allen stood there, dripping, and his mouth tightened into a tiny little line."What is it, then?"

"I don't know," Ed said, oblivious.

"Sometimes I hate you, you know," Allen said as he walked back into the bathroom and closed the door,"I'll talk to you after I take my shower."

OOOOOO

"So, what is it?" Allen asked as he plopped down on Ed's bed.

"I don't know," replied Ed, "but I think it's some kind of diary. I was waiting for you to come out, so we could look at it together."

Allen felt like dabbing at his eyes. Ed waited for him?

"You take a long time in the shower, you know."

_I take that back_, Allen thought, scowling.

"Whatever. Why don't we look inside?"

"Kay," Allen said. He reached over and opened the leather- bound journal.

_Trisha Elric,_

_1993_

That was the only thing on the first page, and Ed almost fell over when he saw it. "Elric?" he asked. "But that's my name…Allen? Do you think-?"

"Maybe," Allen said."We'll have to find out." He turned the page.

_I fear for my boys. I always fear for Ed and Al. I never know where they are, what is happening to them, and how they are doing. If only I could visit them. I just wish that they know what is going to happen to them._

"Look, it says, 'boys', which is plural. If she's your mother, she has more than one child."

"And it says in the beginning,' Ed and Al.' There's an Al out there…"

"But- where? Besides, after Lenalee turned us back, he's probably way older than you."

"1993. We're 16, so we were born in 2004. But for you to be alive at that time and not remember anything, would have to be at least under 1 year old. 2004 minus 1993 is 11, so you would have been under 1, because when we were turned young we looked about five. 16 minus five equals 11."

"So, Trisha Elric…"

"Is your mother," Allen confirmed., then got up from his spot.

"Where are you going?" Ed asked.

"To ask someone something," Allen replied.

"Can I come?"

"Why not?"

**0000000**

"Mrs. Cole?" Allen called as he cautiously entered the room. Truthfully, he had no idea what he was doing, but he just had a...feeling.

Mrs. Cole looked up from the papers she was organizing. "Yes, boys?"

Allen said,"I just wanted to thank you- what with Ed and all, and ask a question. How did you know he might have been recovering from amnesia?"

Mrs. Cole sadly looked down at her papers."I had a friend," she said, "who the Clover used for...tests. She started out as a teacher, like me, but unlike me, she, unluckily, was extremely healthy. She was just the right candidate for testing."

"We know about the testing, but we'd like to hear more," Allen said,"All the secrets of this place."

"All right then, I suppose I can't stop you. Just know that there are many of the secrets that you want to know about, and they're all very deep and dark and horrible."

She scribbled something on a piece of paper, and handed it to Allen, who was beaming. "Thank you so much, Mrs. Cole!"

She smiled at him."You're welcome," she said, and continued sorting out papers.

Ed, who was waiting for Allen by the door, suddenly stepped in. "Mrs. Cole!"

"Yes?"

"W-Who was your friend that...was recovering from amnesia?"

Mrs. Cole looked up from her papers and smiled sadly. "Her name was...Trisha. Trisha Elric."

As Ed slowly gathered himself up and went out the door with Allen, Mrs Cole couldn't help but notice how surprised and horrified they both looked. As she returned to her organizing of the class sheets, she looked down and saw-

_Elric, Edward_

_Elric?_ Could it be? She poked her head out the door and watched his receding form as he walked down the hall. There was something in his walk, something that showed him off, but still made him look modest, just like Trisha had.

Maybe he was her son, maybe not. But she still had someone to carry on her legacy, and, most of all, her grand search.

Komui Lee sighed as he bustled his way down the gray hall. He reached one of the old doors and swung it open, which led to an enclosure of several cells.

He advanced down that hallway, towards a cell at the end. When he reached it he unlocked the door and swung it open, stepped inside quickly, and shut it behind him.

"Lenalee, you've got to stop. If you ever want any hope of being released…"

A girl whose hands were shackled to the wall slowly raised her head. "Never," she whispered fiercely, her expression demonic,"If you think I'm going to ever admit I'm wrong, then go! I don't care. I've been down here so long that I can't even remember how old I am."

"Listen to me, Lenalee…"

"STOP!" she shouted, struggling against her chains. "No!"

"Very well then," Komui said. "I'll see you tomorrow."

He exited the cell, locking it behind him, and began walking back towards the lab.

Looking back towards her cell, he thought, _Some things never change, huh?_

If only someone could turn her back to normal.

Little did he know that that someone would be coming. Very soon.

**A/N-**

**I will admit that this chapter is mainly centered around Ed, but the next will feature Allen.**

**Review or I'll toast you into my next waffle.**


	8. Chapter 8

"What strikes me as odd is that- well, I talked to some of the other people here."

"And what?"

"They don't seem crazy. This just seems like a rich person's place to put their troubled kids."

"That's right," Allen said,"All the kids here have very high quality possessions." He had bumped into some guy earlier who had the latest iPhone.

"But they were never rich. We were always so...middle class."Ed was referring to their adoptive parents.

"Maybe there's a possibility that we were sent here on purpose. The cost for two of us...it would probably have been out of Mom and Dad's price range."

"But why?"

"I don't know. Perhaps it's got something to do with a...thing that's going to happen to us."

"Maybe."

That night, Allen thrashed around in his sleep. Ed quietly tiptoed out of his bed to see what was up. Allen was sweating, and jerked back and forth at different times, as if there was a change of scenery in his dreams. Not necessarily to something good.

Ed took his hand and placed it over Allen's forehead. Not good. It was hot. Very hot.

Ed made his way to the bathroom and picked up a hand towel. Turning on the sink, he ran it under the cold water and then wrung it out. He returned to Allen's bedside and placed it on his forehead. Allen stopped sweating by slight and an expression of peace appeared on his face.

"I wonder what he's dreaming about…"

OOOOOO

_So many things were flashing in front of Allen's eyes._

_As he ran towards the large door, he glanced back. _

"_Mugen, unsheathe!"_

_._

_._

_._

"_Innocence activate!"_

_._

_._

_._

"_Shut the hell up!"_

_Where was he? What was he doing?_

…

_What _was _he?_

Ed waited in his desk chair by Allen's side until he stopped thrashing. Then he got up, refreshed the cool cloth, and placed it back on Allen's forehead. Then he got up, stumbled back to his bed, and fell back under the soft sheets.

"Allen," he mumbled in his sleep,"Who are we?"

Allen picked up a piece of paper from his desk lazily; it was Saturday, so there were no classes, just free time. He unfolded it and was flooded with realization when he saw Mrs. Cole's familiar handwriting.

_Komui Lee_

_Head of Science Department_

_Clover_

"Ed," he said, running over to Ed, organizing papers, "let's go see this guy."

Ed looked up.

"Oh. Sure."

A few minutes later, they were walking through the vast hallway leading to the science branch of the Clover.

As they rounded a corner, they bumped into a scientist, which caused him to spill his coffee all over the floor.

"Sorry!" Allen exclaimed, "We're really sorry…"

The man looked at them strangely. "It's okay. But, what are you boys doing here?"

"We're here to see this man." Ed unfolded the piece of paper and showed it to the scientist.

His eyes flew over the paper and he laughed. "If you're really looking for him, looks like you've already found him!"

Allen was baffled. This...dude...was the head of the science department? Okay. He had met his share of weird people during his lifetime. _Compose yourself_, he thought. As a result, he ended up blurting the first thing he could think of. "We're looking for a girl named Lenalee."

"My...sister?"

So Lenalee was his sister. But, then again…

"_Brother Komui was always the scientist…"_

Oh. Allen should have known. "Where is she?"

Komui sighed, which brought out the worry lines in his face. "Follow me."

He began walking down the lengthy corridor, and Ed and Allen followed. As he was walking, he said to them, "Do you boys even know why the Clover is called the Clover?"

"No…"

"Well," he continued," 20 years ago, when the plague spread, as you may know, the Clover was a research facility. It wasn't called the Clover. The reason it was an aide in making the cure was because of it's special component."

"What component?"

"The prison, where I'm bringing you two. The workers went out and would capture the infected people, then locked them up in our prison for testing. The reason the Clover is called the Clover is because it's made up of three branches. "

"What three?"

"One," Komui said,"Our school. We inspect the behavior of children, as well a the adults teaching them. We stretch them to their limits and see if they are compatible for our testing. Of course, it's disguised as a mental institute for the rich. That's where we receive some of our funding. I've heard that you boys are doing pretty well- physically and academically. Don't be surprised if some 'accidents' happen or you're called to the science branch soon."

"Second," he continued,"The science department. It's where most of our testing ensues, and we have a lot of scientists. If you're healthy and smart, you can probably expect to be a test subject. Not you boys, though. I'll try and keep them from noticing you."

"And lastly," he said," Our prison. It's where we used to keep the infected people, and now, after a bit of disinfecting, it's where we keep...prisoners. Like Lenalee."

Ed and Allen didn't know what to think. To have your own family locked up. Komui held the door open for them and they stepped inside. The room they stepped in was built like a long hall, will cells lining the walls. They followed Komui deeper down the room and stopped at the end.

Inside the cell was a girl...no, woman with long black hair that fell into her gaunt face. She looked to be in her 20's and the whole of her seemed hollowed out, as she sat in the corner, quietly and miserably. A long chain extended from the wall and bound her left hand.

"Ha," Lenalee said,without looking up."Visitors, huh? None of them stay too long, you know?"

Komui closed the cell door and sat down on the bench next to it.

When Lenalee did look up, she tried to conceal her surprise. "You two," she sneered,"The ons who ruined my life and put me in this goddamn cell."

She turned around and kicked the wall.

"We don't even remember you," Allen piped up.

"Yes, you do. I met you in your second life. You just don't know how to unlock the memories. You're just another one of this place's failures."

_Second life?_

"What?" Both Allen and Ed seemed baffled.

"You just wait. Both of you are turning 16 soon, aren't you? On the same day. Hasn't one of you noticed how strange that is? You. Just. Wait. You little brats."

Thoughts barreled through Ed and Allen's mnd, mostly being something like, _What?_

In her corner, Lenalee began to laugh. "It's your third life, isn't it? Not soon."

"What are you talking about?"

"Come closer. I'll tell you."

**END CH. 8**

**A/N- Hello. Chappie 8 is FINALLY done! What?**

**Thanks all for the support.**

**-Niku-san.**


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